This Traditional Dance Troupe Teaches Senior Citizens the Lion Dance
Singapore’s aging population comes with a unique set of challenges. While the elderly provide incredible richness to the heritage and history of the city-state, a few terrifying realities have come to light. For one, there is the loneliness epidemic, which elderly men are vulnerable to.
“There are a lot of people who pass away at home that no one knows about,” shared Lynn Wong, Founder of Bridging Generations and Inheritage.
On a mission to preserve her country’s unique culture, Lynn has become the perfect person to speak to about Singapore’s aging population. Aside from the male loneliness epidemic, Lynn acknowledges that an aging population could overload the country’s healthcare system. To combat such, the Singaporean government has come up with a plan: active aging hubs.
“We have little hubs around Singaporean neighborhoods where seniors can go to and take part in activities such as painting, wellness exercises, or cooking,” she shared.
Keeping active ensures that the seniors do not deteriorate mentally, physically, and socially. “If they don’t keep active, they might have to go to a dementia center, or need more care. We have these active aging hubs to ensure that the seniors stay healthy for as long as possible,” Lynn explained.
There is, however, one problem with these active aging hubs: there didn’t seem to be enough male participants. Activities, which are often viewed as female-centric, often deter men from engaging with them. Fortunately, Lynn’s solution has brought renewed interest in that exact demographic. In partnership with the Lien Foundation and NextOfKin Creatives, the pilot program Inheritage started a lion dance troupe for seniors known as the Silver Pride Lion Troupe.
Lion dances, which are often performed during Chinese New Year and at milestone celebrations, are deeply rooted in Chinese tradition. Aside from being entertaining, it is meant to bring about luck and drive away evil spirits, especially during joyous occasions.
A lion dancer and martial artist herself, Lynn knows firsthand the physical challenges that come with such exercises. For this, Lynn and her team had to consult with Master Siew Puay Lee, who is a senior himself and a 3rd generation disciple of famed martial artist Wong Fei Hong.
“When we make any kind of modification to a well-loved tradition, it’s important to ensure that the community and stakeholders agree to it,” Lynn pointed out. “Because if not, it becomes a taboo. So when we were trying to modify the sequence for the seniors, we were very careful and also consulted with Master Siew, who himself uses a personal mobility device.”
Of course that doesn’t mean that the founding of the dance troupe came about smoothly. “The main challenge [when we started in 2023] was ensuring that we even had a class, to begin with,” Lynn laughed. Seniors were understandably doubtful about joining a lion dance troupe, particularly a pioneering one such as this. Could they, at their age, manage to carry a heavy lion head and hop around the stage?
“We really had to think about how we could help the seniors overcome such self-limiting beliefs,” Lynn explained.
To encourage the seniors, Lynn and her team designed a progressive training program that began with an excursion. Here, they talked about the history of the lion dance; they also watched a lion dance performance done by someone of their age in a wheelchair.
“That’s how it started; that’s how they got the idea in their brain that ‘Oh, if that person can do it, then I can too,'” Lynn shared.
From there, the seniors took progressive steps towards taking center stage. Those tasked with the dance began by carrying hula hoops, which was the practice for holding the redesigned lion head. They also learned how to dance to a simple beat, which then evolved into a short but simple sequence. This eventually culminated in a public performance that empowered the dancers and wowed the audience.
In 2025, the Silver Pride Lion Troupe is focusing on performances they have been hired to give at private functions. They are, without a doubt, now professionals. The community has also grown, encompassing many ages and ethnic groups.
“It’s not just the [male] Chinese-Singaporeans who take part in it,” said Lynn. “We have Muslims wearing the tudung and Indian-Singaporeans taking part in the tradition.”
While Lynn has experienced firsthand how challenging being a woman in a male-dominated tradition can be, she also proudly shared that many elderly females take part in the lion dance festivities as well. “Lion dance is very celebratory and it’s linked so strongly to childhood memories,” Lynn said of the tradition’s appeal. “Whenever we see the dance or hear the music, it just brings back a lot of happy memories for everyone.”
For more information, visit the Inheritage website.
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